Do most engineers go on to get a Master's/Ph.D?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I can't find any statistics. However, I do know that engineering jobs pay pretty high straight out of undergrad.</p>

<p>Is it worth spending more time in school to pursue a higher degree for someone in chemE?</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>According to the BLS, salaries are usually much higher for people with Ph.Ds:</p>

<p>Curriculum Bachelor's Master's Ph.D.</p>

<p>Aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical $50,993 $62,930 $72,529
Agricultural 46,172 53,022<br>
Bioengineering & biomedical 48,503 59,667<br>
Chemical 53,813 57,260 79,591
Civil 43,679 48,050 59,625
Computer 52,464 60,354 69,625
Electrical/electronics & communications 51,888 64,416 80,206
Environmental/environmental health 47,384<br>
Industrial/manufacturing 49,567 56,561 85,000
Materials 50,982<br>
Mechanical 50,236 59,880 68,299
Mining & mineral 48,643<br>
Nuclear 51,182 58,814<br>
Petroleum 61,516 58,000 </p>

<p>*An interesting observation: Those with Master's degrees in petroleum engineering have a lower average salary than those with a bachelor's degree in the same field.... hmm?</p>

2

<p>No, most students do not go on to an advanced degree. Of course this varies by school, but on average I think only 25% (or so) go on for any type of advanced degree.</p>

3

<p>yo doc would you advise someone to get an advanced degree in engineering or do you think its a waste of time</p>

4

<p>Advanced degrees open up different types of opportunities - like research and development. In some fields (i.e. Civil) advanced degrees are very helpful in gaining employment. It all depends on what you want to do.</p>

5

<p>what about for aerospace engineers</p>

6

<p>"Petroleum 61,516 58,000 "</p>

<p>?? People with bachelors make more than those with a masters on average?</p>

7

<p>Flippy, I think I know why. It's because the bachelor's degree PetE's are the ones being sent offshore and onto the drill rig. Sure, you make a lot of money that way (sometimes an obscene amount of money), but the lifestyle is crap. Seriously, you're out offshore for weeks at a time, in a harsh, dirty, and somewhat dangerous environment, with nothing to do but work. When you're not working, you can't just go out to a bar or restaurant and relax. You're still stuck offshore with (at best), maybe a movie to watch in the lounge or a book to read in your room. </p>

<p>Master's degree PetE's are more into R/D and management. You make less money but you enjoy a far better quality of life. You work in a nice clean office. It's safe (i.e. don't have to worry about a blowout killing everybody on the rig). You can go out and enjoy the nightlife after work.</p>

8

<p>Wow, never realized what Petroleum E's have to deal with. No wonder they get paid so much.</p>

9

<p>I previously thought that people who get a Ph.D in engineering were those who want to go into academia. If you have no desire whatsoever to pursue academia, would it be worthwhile to get a Ph.D?</p>

10

<p>
[quote]
Wow, never realized what Petroleum E's have to deal with. No wonder they get paid so much.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well, I didn't mean to say that it was that bad. There are some very good things about it. It's not just that these guys make a lot of money. They also get to travel internationally a lot. When they do, they often times get to pay few taxes (because they aren't making money in the US). Their living costs are usually paid for, because they spend so much time living on the rig, so every dollar they make is theirs to keep. </p>

<p>In short, it clearly is one of the best ways I've seen for a young person with lots of energy to put a lot of money in the bank in a short period of time while having some highly memorable experiences. That is, if you can take the low quality of life.</p>

11

<p>Engineering degree trends are shown in the graphs at:
<a href="http://www.engtrends.com/degrees1945.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.engtrends.com/degrees1945.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>According to this site, the number of engineering bachelor's degrees issued in the US peaked around 1985, at about 80,000 per year. At that time, only about 25,000 engineering master's degrees were also issued per year. The implication is that in 1985, most engineers did not pursue the MS.</p>

<p>As of 2005, about 75,000 engineering bachelor's degrees were issued, which is still less than the 1985 peak. But the number of engineering master's degrees issued has climbed steadily, and is now at an all-time high of about 40,000 per year. Furthermore, the graph only shows MS degrees in engineering -- the total number of master's degrees issued to engineers would undoubtedly be even higher if MBAs were included.</p>

<p>The data clearly indicate that interest in the engineering BS degree has been flat or declining over the last 20 years, while interest in the engineering MS degree has been growing rapidly. I suspect that most BS engineers that graduate today will ultimately earn MS or MBA degrees, and that this was not true 20 years ago.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
I previously thought that people who get a Ph.D in engineering were those who want to go into academia. If you have no desire whatsoever to pursue academia, would it be worthwhile to get a Ph.D?

[/quote]

Actually, around half or less of engineering PhDs go into academia, so there are plenty of people going into industry to do R/D, for example. In my opinion, a PhD for industry is worthwhile only if you prefer a hardcore R/D position. From a purely financial perspective, it's almost certainly not worth the time, effort, and forgoed salary to get a PhD over an MS.</p>

13

<p>Ph.D's do not only work in academia. This is a misconception. In fact, most do not. Keep in mind that a Ph.D. is a research degree so that is what you do if research is your thing. Of course if you want a job in academia, then you will need a Ph.D. for the most part. And you will get paid less than your industry counterparts.</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
Of course if you want a job in academia, then you will need a Ph.D. for the most part. And you will get paid less than your industry counterparts.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yeah, but you can get tenure in academia. Tenure makes you unfireable. That's complete job security - as long as you do the bare minimum of what's required, you will always have a job. Contrast that with an industry position where you can be the best employee in the history of the company and STILL get fired. Heck, being the best employee might actually make you a prime target for being fired because your manager may become scared that you will take his job. </p>

<p>Let's not also forget that academics get large blocks of time off. For example, most of them aren't required to teach during the summer. They get the winter breaks off, which usually amount to about a month of downtime. They get spring break off. They get sabbaticals Granted, lots of them use this time to further their research. But the point is, once you have tenure, you don't have really have to produce much research, because you can't be fired.</p>